"Hajoon suggested me to make you become, uhm, our housekeeper, but I don't want you to take it in the pejorative sense of the word, so I wanted to ask you what you think about this since you seem to like to do lots of tasks," he brings up, to my greatest surprise. "Housekeeper? And what should I do?" I peek at him while cleaning the vegetables. "Well," he leaves his spot to come closer again. "You would have to clean the house, take care of the kids, cook the meals, but I would give you a bedroom in the house since that means you need to stay here all the time."

"Oh, that doesn't sound bad, to be honest," I pause my actions to fix my eyes on him. "If you need one, then I don't mind serving you."

"Really? Is that all right with you? Because you will have to stay almost all day long here," he says but does not discourage me at all. I would love to do this, earn money, and leave my parents alone for some time. "Yes, it's all right. I'm totally for it."

"Great, I'll pay you—"

"Wait, does that mean I'm your personal assistant?" I interrupt him without wanting to, but he smiles in one of the most attractive ways and rubs the side of his tattooed neck. "Kinda, if you call it like that."

"Ah okay," I do not show any bother about it since I am excited to spend more time with them, and he continues the sentence I cut short a minute ago. "So, about your salary, I'll pay you two thousand a month. Is that fine?"

"Fine?" I open my eyes wide but cannot hide my joy. "It's more than fine. You don't even have to pay me that much, you know..."

"That's the first time I hear someone say that," he chuckles but always speaks in one of the softest ways. I smile but focus on the food to cut them since there already is some cooked rice. "There is one room free just in front of the bathroom right next to the backyard, you know where it is, right?"

"Yes, I didn't know it was a bedroom," I put everything in a bowl but notice he is carefully looking at what I am doing. "It was not, but I can re-arrange it for you. Don't worry about that. I just need to know your taste in order to make something cozy where you'll feel comfortable."

"Oh, you can do something simple, I don't know," I take a look at him now that I'm done with the first step, but he leans onto the worktop. "Do you like fairy lights? A king-size bed? Black and white colors?"

"I like that," I nod to him. "Great, I'll do that then. You can start this Sunday. I'll make fast to get your room ready."

I smile since I do not want to say anything more, and I take the rice that I need to make the gimbap.

"Hey, that smells good in here," the young boy comes back, but in his school uniform, and he almost pushes his father to get in between and stick his body to mine. "Oh, what are you cooking?"

"It's not for you," I lie but only to see what kind of reaction he will have, and he already pouts. "Isn't that the gimbap I wanted to eat yesterday...?"

"Yes," I affirm but get disappointed once I look at him. Mister Jeon left, he is not with us anymore. "That looks good already."

I smile but do not tell him this is for him yet. He needs to taste how it is first, then if it is good, I will tell him.

20 minutes later...

"Buddy— Oh," Mister Jeon surprises me as I just finished cooking breakfast and lunch for everyone. He smiles at me while tying his tie, and I return the same expression. "I thought the little brat was here," he chuckles but comes closer, my hand sliding onto the worktop. "I cooked breakfast for you," I look in the direction of the egg rolls that I hope he will like. "And the coffee is ready."

He lays his eyes on it, and the corners of his lips curve even more to let his teeth appear. "Aw, thank you so much, y/n," he peeks at me but grabs a pair of chopsticks. "You're the sweetest, seriously," he compliments me. I try to control my shyness, but he digs into the food and makes me nervous.

"You can eat it with some ketchup if it's not good," I find a way to know whether he likes it or not, but he chews on it and shakes his head. "Hm, this is delicious," he empties the plate in short seconds as if he had not eaten for a while. That is a relief.

"Jeez," he speaks with his mouth full but stops to swallow, and he licks his rosy lips. "It's been a while since I last had a good breakfast like that," his tongue runs over his lips again, before grabbing the toasted bread, but I drop my attention on the dish, too bashful to look into his doe eyes.

"Does your leg still hurt?" Mister Jeon asks, so I glance up to answer him. "It just stings a little, but it's fine."

"I'll change the bandage before you leave the house later," he places the empty dish in the sink, but the sound of his teenager joining us interrupts the calmness. "Oh, here you are," the man combs his hair back but heads to the coffee machine. "I've—"

"What's that?" he does not listen to his father but only has eyes for the food. "It's for you, the gimbap is for lunch and the egg rolls with vegetables are for now," I tell him but peek at Mister Jeon who must have been offended. He sips on his warm drink but looks at me, unsettling me with the deepness his eyes have. He does not say anything while the boy is eating everything loudly but steps closer.

"Your food is so good," Hajoon states, so I take my eyes off the man who stands before me but stumble upon the boy with food in his mouth. Anyway, I uncontrollably gaze up at Mister Jeon again. He looks into my eyes at the same moment as if everything were done to embarrass me, so I try to find an excuse for this. "Is the coffee good...?" I join my hands in front of my body.

"It is," he smiles at me after taking a sip, looking like he knows what is happening inside my head. "Don't feel stressed out today, okay?" he remembers what I told him last night, and I nod while chuckling. "I'll try, but I'm always stressed out, to be honest."

"Why is that?" he frowns, focusing on me while Hajoon is eating well. "I don't know. Everything makes me nervous," I shrug, not knowing how to answer him since I'm not even sure myself. "You need to chill," Hajoon lets out, peeking up from his phone but keeping the chopsticks in his other hand. "We'll do it once I'm home. You'll see how much this can help."

"I have things to do, you know," I tell him, and he shoves some more food in his mouth. "But not all the time. You can take breaks. Especially when Hyejoon is sleeping."

"Hm," I believe so. "But it's not this type of stress anyway."

"What kind then?" he asks to know as Mister Jeon is listening to us. "I don't know how to explain. It's like, when you're worried, when you have some thoughts on your mind that do not go away. That type of stress."

"Don't you ever talk about it with someone?" Mister Jeon understands that is what I need, but I shake my head since I have no one to trust enough to do that. "No...I don't want to bother anyone."

"You can talk to me whenever you want or need, I'll listen and help you as much as I can," he does break the eye contact as if he was telling the truth. "And I mean it, okay?"

I nod to him since I am not going to say that I do not. "You can talk to me too," Hajoon swallows the food, ending his breakfast. I smile at him but gaze back at Mister Jeon, and I lower my eyes to the floor. I lick my lips and peek down at my bandage, hoping for the blood to not soak it.

"Does it hurt?" Mister Jeon notices me, and I nod to not lie. "A little."

"What kind of pain is it?" he leaves his cup on the side. "It stings, and at the same time, it's like a bruise."

"Oh, it's ok. You should just lie down, I'm going to give you a painkiller," he comes forwards and stands before me, his cologne spreading through my nose, he opens the wall cabinet near my head and takes a box out of it. "Here," he drops one in the large palm of his hand. "Thank you," I take it, get my bottle of flavored water, and swallow it.

"If you ever start to feel nauseous or not all right, call me, okay?" he puts the box back where it was and closes the door, so I give him a 'yes' with a movement of my head. He steps back as I am still drinking, but Hajoon gets curious. "What's that?"

"Strawberry-flavored water, why?" I close the bottle. "Isn't that what we buy for little kids?" he mocks me, but I do not take offense, I act like I did not hear and walk away. I get on the sofa and take one shoe off to be able to put my injured leg on the cushions.

•••

4:30 pm.

The baby's bottle now empty, I put it on the coffee table and lay him on my chest to rub his back and make him burp. The quietness in the room gets broken by the sound of the front door opening, so I look in that direction and see the boy I expected to fall upon.

"Hey!" he joyfully enters the house and closes the door behind him, so I greet him the same way, with a smile. "How was your day?" I slightly turn to the side to have him within sight as he is taking his shoes and jacket off. "Long and annoying, but now it's finally good," he throws his bag on the sofa and lands next to me. "Can we play?" he does not wait a single second. "Don't you have any homework to do?"

He shakes his head but makes it evident he is telling me a lie. "Yes, you do," I do not believe him, but he grins the same way his father does, leaning towards me and joining his hands. "Come on...please...I wanna play with you so we can both chill while my parents aren't here."

"Hajoon, you know I have to respect the rules your dad established, so do your homework first, and then we'll play. You can take a break if you have too much to do," I do not disappoint Mister Jeon but cause him to be bothered. He sighs and looks away, toying with the pillow next to him. "I do not remember him saying that you're my babysitter so..." he raises his eyebrows and rests his head on the back of the sofa to look at me. "I can do what I want..."

"Your dad told me to make you respect the rules," I state and make it clear for him to not get me in trouble. "I need the proof."

"Hajoon, please," I show my irritation but notice he is kindly dropping it. "All right, goddammit," he leaves me and grabs hold of his bag. "You better play with me once I take a break."

"I will," I roll my eyes but give him what he wants. "Wait," my brain makes me stop him. "What game do you want to play though?"

He shrugs but smiles. "You'll see. I decide," he goes away without telling me more about this, but I do not say anything. He is a little brat.

•••

6 pm.

After putting Hyejoon in his crib, I walk out of the room and close the door but not entirely, then I make my way down the stairs, hearing and seeing Hajoon get the games ready in the living room.

"I finish cooking the dinner, and I come. Okay?" I head towards the kitchen, and he understands without complaining. That is a relief. I can now work without feeling in a rush.

"Can I taste the food?" he already joins me, one controller in his hands. I accept and take a spoon out to fill it with some meat, sauce, vegetables mixed into the rice, and I blow on it first. "Aw, what a good mommy," he rests his elbow on the counter but makes me laugh. "Keep quiet, I just don't want you to burn yourself."

"Hm," he smiles at me like a cute idiot, and I bring the spoon to his mouth, keeping my other hand underneath. He takes everything inside and tries it, not struggling with the heat. "Hm," he emits some sounds of delight and straightens his back. "Girl, this is so fucking good," he keeps on chewing, but I smile and put the spoon down. I am proud.

"Can I get some mo—"

"No," I cut him off. "You tasted, that's enough. You'll eat that for dinner," I avoid his face since I know he will be able to make me give in, but he wraps one arm around my neck and watches me cook. "Do you think your dad will like it?"

"Yep, totally," he tongues his teeth, some food still left in his mouth. I glance at him, turning the induction hob off, he peeks at me as well, but his lips turn up. "What?"

I heave a sigh and get the spoon in my hold again, I pick some of the food with it, and I drift it to his mouth, getting him to lean in for it right away. "Thank you," he chuckles but tries to eat properly, so I push him with the side of my hips. "Now go away, you annoy me," I wash the spoon to not leave it there but hear his giggles in the living room. "I always win," he says, with confidence, before sitting down on the sofa. "Just like my dad."

This last sentence catches my attention more than the others. "What does that mean?" I place the top of the pan over the food, and I join him. "That means my dad always gets what he wants," he enjoys what he will have for dinner and hands me a controller. I wonder if that is true.

50 minutes later...

"Holy fucking bitch, Imma—" Hajoon bites his lips to not blow a fuse as we are both playing against other players. "Dude!" he lets it out in a scream, and I slap his arm. "Hey. Don't. You're going to wake your brother up."

"But this motherfucker's gonna play this whole game like a ho—" he does not end his sentence full of swearing once the front door gets open, meaning that his parents are back. "Damn..." he breathes out, and I keep my eyes on the person who is coming in. This is Mister Jeon, no one else.

"Hey," his charming smile full of care causes mine to appear. "Welcome back," I answer but try to focus on the game. "This smells terribly good," the scent of the food reaches him out. "I cooked dinner, I hope you'll like it."

"This is good as hell, dad. You'll want her to cook every day if you taste that," the boy by my side expresses his opinion, but since the game is done, I leave the sofa and walk up to Mister Jeon who's getting closer to the food. "I can cook something else if you don't like it," I grab a spoon for him, catching sight of his interest and eagerness. "Hm. Don't say that. I'm sure this is delicious," his big hand takes the utensil, so I remove the top of the pan, and I let him try the food.

"When the hell does mom come home? I wanna eat. I'm starving," Hajoon complains from the sofa, but my eyes cannot be taken off Mister Jeon as he's tasting the meal. Once this is in his mouth, he places his powerful, tattooed hands down on the counter but chews before saying anything, worsening the anxiousness inside of me.

I fiddle with the bottom of my sweater like a nervous kid, but the sudden look he gives me does not help at all. "What did you put in this?" he narrows his brows but takes another mouthful. "I...different spices, vegetables, rice, meat...sauce...Why? You don't like it?" I tilt my head to the side, waiting for his answer.

"I don't like it," his tongue runs over his lips, and he steps aside to place the spoon down and remove his tie. "Oh," my heart dies inside my chest, and I peek down at the food that I thought he would find tasty. "I'm sorry, I tried my best..."

"I love it, y/n," his softer voice makes me look back at him as I almost lost my soul, but he chuckles and touches my face with his warm hand to stroke my cheek. "I didn't mean to make you feel that way. I'm so sorry, I was joking," he sees on my face that it hurt my feelings, but I smile, relieved to hear that and shy to feel his veiny hand on me so gently. "It's delicious, don't doubt it. You're an amazing cook," he calms me down and moves towards the fridge.

"Hey, I asked you a question, old man," Hajoon chimes in, so I turn towards the cabinets to hide my hot cheeks. "I don't know. She's probably out. We're eating now, just set the table."

"Yeah!" he hurls his happiness out and quickly gets the dishes to do as told. "You eat with us, y/n. Right? You said you would."

"I...yeah," I look at him for a short second, and I step in front of the pan to take care of bringing it to the dining room, but no time to even heave it up, Mister Jeon does not let me do anything more. "No. Leave this where it is. I'll carry it. You can sit at the table."

"Are you sure?" I keep one hand on it, but he nods to me. "Yes, don't worry. You deserve a break."

"Ok..." I do not comply to the full but listen to not argue, and I get in the room on our right to be with Hajoon, who is putting the dishes and glasses down.

"Why are you blushing?" he cannot keep his mouth shut, embarrassing me more than I already am. "I'm not," I deny it, and he laughs at me. "Why are your cheeks red then?"

"I don't know..." I feign ignorance and touch them with the back of my hand, but Mister Jeon joins us and comes close to place the meal between me and his son. "Here it is. What would you like to drink, y/n?"

"Uhm...Coke? Do you have some?" I get one elbow on the table to cover the side of my face, looking up at him. "Yes, sure. We have this," he goes back to the kitchen, and I now face Hajoon, who cannot stop grinning at me. He crosses his arms over the table. "Does my dad make you nervous?"